Pandemonium marks PU Senate meeting
Chandigarh, October 16
Despite having teachers, principals and distinguished luminaries as its fellows, the Panjab University Senate today once again showcased its penchant for sheer indiscipline which over the past some time has become its hallmark.

Conman held with cloned credit, debit cards
Chandigarh, October
16
The police today arrested a conman with duplicate debit and credit cards from his possession which were being used by him during his shopping spree across the city during the ongoing festival
season.

Admn continues to flout high court directions
Chandigarh, October 16
The UT Administration is continuing to flout directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court by not permitting the sale of property without a no objection certificate (NOC) from the Estate Office. This is in clear violation of the court, which has ruled out the need for obtaining prior permission of the Allotment Authority.

All that ‘glitters’ is not gold
Chandigarh, October 16
Have you ever wondered where does the waiter serving you in an affluent restaurant lives? Or, from where does the maid washing utensils in your kitchen comes from? ….. The answer lies in the lesser visited and unknown underbelly of the City Beautiful-colonies and slums comprising narrow filthy lanes and garbage scattered all around the area.

Garbage Plant ‘playing havoc’ with health of area residents
Chandigarh, October 16
If the findings of a medical camp organised by the BJP’s Pharmaceutical Cell in Dadu Majra today are any indication, the Municipal Corporation’s Garbage Disposal Plant, operated by Jaypee Associates could be playing havoc with the health of residents of the area.

Mayor Pali passes the buck to BJP
Chandigarh, October 16
Ahead of the Municipal Corporation elections, the Congress leaders are blaming the BJP for setting up the garbage processing plant and have promised the residents of Dadu Majra that the MC will not hesitate to shut the plant if it did not function properly. The MC Mayor Ravinder Pal Singh Pali made the announcement at the inauguration of the Community Centre.

Black flags greet Pawan Bansal at community centre
Chandigarh, October 16
inauguration of a community centre at Dadu Majra by local MP Pawam Kumar Bansal was marked with a protest staged by BJP supporters with black flags on his arrival. The supporters raised slogans against the Congress and the MP asking him to leave the venue, later the police detained the protesters.

Caught in Protest:
An apparently exasperated Pawan Kumar Bansal at the community centre.

Glow and glitz for Divali

With Divali round the corner, the sale of Chinese lights has increase in
Chandigarh. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu

GMADA may jump deadline
Mohali, October 16
City residents will have to wait for another two more months before they are able to board a bus from the upcoming air-conditioned bus stand in Sector 57 here.
Reason-the October 31 deadline set by the state government to make the first phase of the bus stand operational is nearing and the work is still on. “It is likely to take at least another one-and-half month or so to make the first phase operational,” pointed out sources in the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA).

Architects’ festival concludes
Chandigarh, October 16
The three-day Young Architects Festival (YAF) 2011, a national-level event of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), which concluded here today, saw the participation of over 1,000 architects.

Sand quarrying continues unabated
Mohali, October 16
The district administration and Punjab forest department seem to have turned a blind eye to sand quarrying, especially being done in the delisted area.
The practice is causing loss to the ecology of fragile Shivalik Hills.

Throwing caution to the wind

Passengers hang on to a Haryana Roadways bus near Majri Chowk in Panchkula, risking their lives. Tribune photo: Nitin Mittal

Over 1 lakh forms sold
Mohali, October 16
With seven days left for closing the Mullanpur eco city scheme, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) has till date sold off over 1.10 lakh forms. Going by the response, demand of another 20,000 forms was expected over the next week by the time the scheme closes on October 21.

Gangster was involved in murder bid also: Police
Panchkula, October 16
The notorious gangster Atul who fired on the car of local builder Anil Kumar Bhalla last month for ransom was also involved in an attempt to murder case on Ambala Central Jail DSP Sanjay Bangar on October 5 last year. This was claimed by the CIA staff of local police here today. Atul is on judicial remand and lodged at Ambala Centrail Jail since last month.

Vendors not issued receipts for installing stalls
Chandigarh, October 16
High drama was witnessed at Apni Mandi in Sector 34 today, when Councillor AP Sanwaria on a checking spree found that the vegetable vendors were not issued a receipt by the contractor for installing their stalls.

Syndicate meeting
University accused of ‘selling’ additional seats
Chandigarh, October 16
Contrary to its tall claims of being against the commercialisation of education, Panjab University has not only charged late fee of Rs 1,800 from the students applying for additional seats provided to colleges recently but has even asked them to cough development funds worth Rs 5,000.

PU gives personal hearing to ‘corrupt’ official
Chandigarh, October 16
In what is being dubbed as a ‘shielding’ exercise, the Panjab University Senate has decided to give Satish Padam, executive engineer with the Panjab University (PU) a personal hearing before reacting to CBI’s request for starting prosecution proceedings against him. Sleuths of the Central Bureau of Investigation had apprehended Padam last year in July on charges of demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 32,000.
Padam’s accomplice Nand Lal Kaushal, a subdivisional officer, was also booked in the case.

PhD versus UGC NET
Chandigarh, October 16
Are PhD qualified candidates who have not cleared UGC NET eligible for the post of assistant professors (lecturers) in Panjab University?

Grading system on the anvil
Chandigarh, October 16
Taking a cue from The Central Board Of Secondary Education, Panjab University is all set to introduce grading system for all postgraduate courses this year to curtail re-evaluation requests and enhance placement opportunities for various students. The 9 -point grade system, which forms the part of the semester system introduced this year will prove to be a milestone even though some toppers will loose their sheen.

PU not centrally funded, still an ‘inter-state’ body
Chandigarh, October 16
In a starling revelation, which left the Panjab University Senate surprised, PUTA president Dr Akshay Kumar claimed that PU was still an inter-state body corporate rather than a centrally funded university as professed by Vice-Chancellor RC Sobti for almost a year now.

6 quintal of adulterated sweets seized
Ambala, October 16
With Divali round the corner, over 6 quintal of adulterated sweets were seized from a sweetmeat shop in
Ambala.
District health officer Dr Surinder Mohan said adulterated sweets seized from a manufacturing unit near Tangri river, Ambala Cantt, were destroyed.

Insurance company told to pay Rs 5 lakh
Fatehgarh Sahib, October 16
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed the Life Insurance Corporation zonal office to pay Rs 5 lakh to the complainant along with Rs 5,000 as costs of litigation.

Ambala railway station put on high alert
Ambala, October 16
The Ambala Cantt railway station has been put on high alert following the seizure of 5kg RDX from a car parked at parking lot of the railway station. An appeal has also been made to the general public to remain watchful for any unclaimed suitcase and handbag in trains and crowded places.

Jeweller goes missing
Panchkula, October 16
A Panchkula-based jeweller went missing on Friday. Sonia Katwani, wife of the jeweller, a resident of Sector 20, told the police that her husband left the home in his car in the morning to take money from a jeweller of Mani Majra. He was supposed to give that money to another jeweller in Chandigarh, but he did not return home.

Luggage snatched in Garib Rath
Chandigarh, October 16
Unidentified men stole the luggage and snatched the purse of a city resident travelling in Garib Rath Express on Friday night.
Two women travelling from Jaipur to Chandigarh in the train lost their luggage in the wee hours when the train was about to reach Panipat.

Two held for impersonation in exam
Chandigarh, October 16
The UT police today arrested two persons for impersonating during the written exam for the posts of clerk in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The exam was being held at Shivalik Public School in Sector 41 when the examiners found that another person was appearing in place of the actual candidate. The examiners then called the police.

‘The pitch will benefit both batsmen and bowlers’
Chandigarh, October 16
The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) has started preparing the pitch for the upcoming day and night match one-day match between Indian and England on October 20 at PCA stadium
Mohali, here.

Col CK Naydu Trophy
P’kula cricket body to host matches
Chandigarh, October 16
The Panchkula District Cricket Association will host two four-day matches of the Col. CK Naydu Trophy for Boys (U-22) of the plate group and a three-day match of the North Zone for the Vijay Merchant Trophy (U-16) at the JR Institute of Cricket Technology (Barwala), Panchkula, later this month.